


Under the Wayward Stars

by YakumoCheeen



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Crime mystery, F/M, Supernatural Thriller, Suspense, cosmic horror
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-29
Updated: 2016-07-02
Packaged: 2018-07-18 22:12:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7332652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YakumoCheeen/pseuds/YakumoCheeen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Day in and day out, everyday is exceptional to Officer Judy Hopps and her cynical partner Nick Wilde, however on a routine bust, something is unearthed that threatens too quake the conceptions of the world and its purest image. Lines will be drawn that weave and fold the fabric of reality about them as they seek to make sense of the unknowable. Only time will tell if such young and curious minds will resist the sirens call of curiosity in the face of the unknowable.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

When a wayward traveller venturing from the northern fringe of Sahara Square down beyond the quaint street bistro, Varmint, missteps the turnpike heading yonder further Downtown, nearing Firth and Fir. They find themselves within the enigmatic and squalorous place.

As one would venture further within, they would find the world about them shifting and changing, altering itself as they follow the presumptive trail. Looming ahead and abreast the world would grow verdant, multitudinous in its colors and vibrant in its colors, for such would be the calling card of the Rainforest District. Unto such a variety of vibrant plants and natural formations would be present, the nearing thousand species that dwell and call this eccentric region home, would bustle to and fro, heading about their daily tasks, seemingly unconcerned or merely occupied by their duties and tasks to notice one whom may have wandered too far from the blazed paths. The winding trails, snake and trace the titanic roots of the heaving trees that tower o'er head, the monumental canopy providing shade to those animals that seek the respite from the searing heat of the Sahara's sun.

The barren earth of the footway would naturally herd and funnel the unwary further down along the myriad of estuaries that would dart and race across the surface of the cities district. Along further one would travel, the near perpetual drizzle and downpour from the water catering systems overhead would undulate the region in mire and muck, the many structures of the affluent and wise, residing far above, nestled among the majesty of the canopy above, far and dry from the muck and filth that populate the lower levels. The vibrant greens of the land above giving way as one would trail their eyes down the expanse of these mighty jungle woods, they would be given visualization of the proverbial tree of wealth, the rich on high, or those whom are more inclined to dwell above doing so, either by affluence or by regulatory statutes.

However the trail, like all would finally wind to its close at the foot of a wide estuary, the deep channel a murky brown from the low river bottom and near constant aquatic traffic that utilizes the channel for industrial means. Nestled along the steep banks of the river, row upon row of warehouses would reside, each of them akin to cookie cutter placed men of gingerbread. The heavy rainfall and near constant pursuits of the natural flora would leave these buildings in a near constant state of disrepair, the groaning of chipped and pitted timber would sing its song alongside the wheeze and clicking of rusting corrugated steel. Buildings this far below the skyhigh lofts of the wealthy would find themselves showered in near perpetual rain, the once neatly paved lots they each sat about would be thick would churning mud and refuse.

Whilst the bars upon each of these groaning bastions of steel would strive to keep out the bottom dwelling inhabitants of the jungles lower class, such measures would be entirely for naught, between the lack of constant patrols and security among this level due in no small part to manpower shortages within the ZPD, crime would be found rampant. Despite the Chief's most insistent and firm affirmations that the region would receive special attention from their investigations unit, the sheer size of the region alone and its complexity meant there was eternally a shortage of officers especially when crime was raft and afoot.

However, in such a rare stroke of either fortune or misfortune, a long vehicle plod its way forth from a mucky avenue, turning heavily about a narrow choke in the path, languidly the heavy and squat four door trundled into a slight nook among overgrown roots of the nearby trees, the massive gnarled hulks of wood providing ample cover from the downpour that raged outside… the stark white and black of the vehicles livery, nestled and shadowed under the roots makeshift arch. Feeling secure, the engine's throaty rumble was doused and in soft silence, it rested… waiting wearily for its mark.

Leaning forth with stern focus and controlled anticipation, Officer Judy Hopps, the anthropomorphic law enforcement rabbit savant, surveyed the scene, pawed foot tapping a steady rhythm, on the matted floor of the car, her ears twitching from time to time, clearly caught up in the moment. Her eyes swiftly darted hither and yonder, moving between the sagging chain link fence and the heavy cargo containers that sit stacked neatly atop one another, she huffs quirking her brow as she moves to heft up a faded and worn notepad, idly scratching down descriptions of the building in question and its surrounding local, her hands darting furiously to and fro.

"Carrots… Might wanna slow down there, you might just burn a hole straight through the pad…" Judy responds with only a gruff huff of dismissal towards her partner. Lounging back idly within his seat laid-back and mellow, resided Officer Nick Wilde, recent anthropomorphic fox inductee into the ZPD. He would lean back, snagging a wide cup from the holder neatly between them, taking down a heft of the drink in a slow and methodical way, raising his brow towards his partner as he finishes "Ahhh, I see it's the ol' hardcore steak out huh? Ooo~ At least since this is my first time on such a wondrous detail, when we snag the perp, I wish to daintily read them their righ-" His snarky comment cut silent by a swift flick of Judy's paw, indicating for him to be silent, she frowns and glances over curtly towards Nick and motions sharply at their collective objective.

"Look if you're not going to take this seriously, why did you volunteer again. I mean here we are on a stakeout, I've been told to show you the ropes and get you acclimated to this whilst we've got at least six more hours of this till the shift and if you're gonna complain the whole time just like that watch job we did at Louie's…." Nick shifts and feigns insult, placing his paw upon his stark blue uniform, badge jingling softly in mock protest

"Me? Complaining, No it couldn't possible be true, could it? C'mon, you know I am pullin' your leg Carrots… besides I've gotta have something to keep me entertained whilst we vegetate in this hotbox…" He glances around, moving to flick sharply on the air conditioning, cool wafts of air dancing forth to stirr up his vibrant auburn fur…. He nods and shoots her an innocent grin "And another thing… if you start talking to yourself again…"

Judy would give him and firm look, her stern demeanor standing firm for several long seconds, however her vibrant amethyst eyes betrayed her faltering serious face, shortly before she cracks into a grin "Shoot, I nearly kept it up there didn't I? Alright, alright, you got me I am a bit on edge…. Look It's just strange alright topped with a heap of responsibility? Look, the call logs report that six calls pertaining to suspicious activity called in from the local housing project, gave this address, and to make matters worse its rundown, and we aren't exactly in the upscale part of town either this time… yeah?"

Nick idly rubs his jaw, scratching at his fur as he frowns slightly, casting his gaze back once again towards the warehouse, a nagging sense of caution urging him to call it quits slowly nibbling at his focus, he shakes his head "Yeah, Yeah I get it, creepy warehouse on the dock vibe doesn't really sit right with me, but I mean it's the weekend, the docks don't run a shift during this time, so why should we be worried?"

She shrugs, moving to lean back against her lifted seat, watching the water rivulets dancing down the windshield, as she adjusts her uniform with drilled and practiced precision, her ears twitching reflexively as she nods slowly "I don't know Nick, we've had several disappearances in this precinct, Bongo wants to write it off as merely disputes gone south, but I just can't shake this feeling something strange is going on…"

Nick shifts and emits a dismissive noise and chuckles lightly at the comment, "Pffft, we handled the Night-howler situation well enough, and that was a missing mammals case, maybe that's why Bogo put us on the case, eh? Might as well send in the experts to handle a job like this…"

She shifts and rolls her eyes, her grin fading softly as it fell from her soft features, "Maybe, but this just seems different, we had some clues compared to the bottom of the barrel we are scrapping now, I mean we aren't even sure if the purported string of break in's at this place correlate with the disappearances… Aside from the simple fact they occurred along the banks of the various rivers-"

Nick shifts and raises a paw, bringing both of them to his center, he lifts upward as he slowly sucks in air, holding it for a moment as he releases it, his hands inverting the movements. He nods quietly to her "Now, you try…. Look Carrots, more than likely it's going to be nothing, just a routinely call to watch-a-spot, then we zip on over heading for a quick bite to eat, then it's back to central and we punch the clock…" He leans back, idly flicking open his sunglasses, sliding them over his eyes as he leans fully back, reclining in his chair as the soft drizzle of rain patters on the roof overhead.

She grows still and glances back out, once more quietly observing the lonesome sight of the warehouse, before she lays down her note taking gear, she would lean forth and idly flick on the radio, scanning a few idle channels, the hiss of static dancing faintly among the stations, the dense rain and vegetation playing havoc on the inbuilt communications. You know maybe you're right…. Maybe I am over-reacting, fine. I will concede your point mister.. Alright, well then I am not going to sit here in silence while you try and get your beauty sleep…" She shifts and leans back in her chair, taking up a pair of binoculars from the center console, resting it on her lap, she casts a glance at Nick "Mhmm so you see that new sitcom, the one with the Apes?"

Nick remains in his position, his feet idly crossed as he speaks up with a snicker "Yeah I heard there is quite a bit of crap throwing on that show… Ahhh that was absolutely terrible, I am dying here" Judy sharply plants her face in her palm and shakes her head as he snickers at his own lame jokes horrific fate…

She shakes her head with a grin, and crosses her legs idly "Mmmh… Was thinking about going out for a bite tonight. However I wanted to know if you wanted to come along, maybe someplace you know… not related to fast food?"

Nick scoffs, and glances over, lowering his glasses with a flick of his wrist, a toying look in his eyes, "C'mon, what's wrong with fast food, it's quick and cheap.. Besides it's not like each of my paychecks from the Chief are fortunes…"

Judy merely chuckles in return and lounges back, smartly gesturing towards him "Yeah, Yeah, You're just too cheap sometimes you know that? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're uptight and a penny pincher…."

Nick merely rolls his eyes and release a good natured sigh, drumming his fingertips on his chest as he clearly worked to try and stifle a snarky retort, but failed miserably. "Yeah, whole lot of irony hearing that coming from you Carrots… " He pauses mid-chuckle, as something catches his attention, a slight shift of movement out of the corner of his eye, draws his focus upward towards the warehouse, the fence sagging slightly under the gale of water hailing down from above. His brow furrows as he spies through the sheets of water, a rent in the fences height, a modest rent splits the fence nearly a dozen meters away, something he could have sworn wasn't present before… he raises a hand, stifling Judy before she could object, sharply pointing towards the newfound damage "Hold up, stable that high horse... I spy with my little eye..."

Judy would pause her good natured jab, her tone growing serious as she peers into the mists of rain and curtly nods her head, ears standing upright, twitching slightly as she glances over, exchanging a grim look with Nick, as the duo shift, moving to unlock their doors, giving a cursory inspection over their duty gear before moving to leave, Judy exhales solemnly, a quirk to her brow. "Well so much for a quiet night then..."


	2. Chapter 2

The torrents of rain would not relent in their onslaught upon the battered jungle floor below, the constantly shifting sheets of rain reducing visibility under ten meters once outside the protective roof of the roots and the duty vehicle. The duo would hastily move to depart the relative safety of their protected cruiser, as Nick fumbles heavily with his less than lethal gear, she would cast a glance over to him, tilting her head slowly as she shuts her as he speaks up thumbing in several electro-slugs, the squat pronged shots designed to deliver a stunning jolt of pre-packaged electricity to stun a target well outside of the range of their conventional tasers, fairly flashy stuff Judy may or may not have "borrowed" from the armory."Uhh Carrots don't you think it's a bit overkill or you… you know a bit much to be running in weapons drawn? Shouldn't we call this in and wait for support?.

She would shake her head curtly as she locks her belt and retention holster, moving to the front of the cruiser "No time, if the perp has even the slightest sense of awareness they will bolt before backup can arrive, as for your weapon, don't think of it in such a way, consider it, proactive insurance against bodily harm, ok?" She flashes him a playfully devious grin as she would take the lead moving briskly ahead of Nick as he fumbles with his belt and snub-nose riot gun, his baton having snared on the door as he moved for a hasty disembark. Judy glances back and watches the scene for a mere hair's breadth, before she sharply begins to gesture for Nick to fall into formation and keep up with her. He rapidly untangles himself from his baton, and the car's own seat belt, before he moves swiftly up alongside Judy, remaining close at her right side. He leans forth as they reach the proverbially lamenting chain fence, their batons drawn, the collapsible steel framed rods click and lock.

Nick wearily looks about and lowers his voice to a soft whisper, speaking into Judy's alert ears… "Hey you sure it's wise to just you know…. Run at someone whilst we are carrying our batons? I mean what if the perp gets jumpy, not really keen on eating one today myself." Judy glances back and rapidly taps a single finger to her lips sharply indicating for him to be quiet, she stills, slender and tall ears swiveling about as she searches for the faintest of noise alien to the forest in this downpour.

When no such sound rang forth, she exhales, nodding curtly towards Nick as she speaks in a low harsh whisper, attempting to convey her certainty… to herself or him? It was unclear. "Shutup….you're speaking too loudly, we won't get pegged if we keep our heads level and alert, yeah? You're acting like a rookie all hyped up for his first bust."

Nick frowns curtly and gestures towards her with a flick of his jaw "Uhh, yeah? News flash Carrots, it is my first bust of this scale, I just got off of street patrol in Downtown with you, remember?"

Judy hisses sharply and gestures for him to follow her, her well rehearsed training kicking firmly in as she moves forward, keeping herself lower to the ground, ears fully at end, sweeping to and fro as the rain batters down mercilessly "Yeah I know! Don't remind me, you're acting like I've done this sorta bust before as well, let's just promise to make it home tonight? Yeah? Yeah." She nods curtly and moves, advancing across the muck strewn shell of the parking lot, her long stride and wide footage, splashing down into the mud a bit louder then she would have hoped for.

Nick follows closely behind, his uniform matted and soaked similar to Judy's own, the duo arrive at the heavy bay door of the warehouse, eyes sweeping the corners, batons at the ready as Nick kneels down sharply, moving to slide his fingers into the slots, and with a deft heave, he hauls it open and advances in, Judy tight on his tail, watching their backs as they enter. Nick comes to a halt within the facility, eyes glancing to and fro from the towering stacks of wooden crates, stacked nearly ten high, towering over them a few meters. Each neat row leading about chaotically, the thick layers of dust over each wooden container lead credence the facility was seldom used. Judy shifts and moves alongside Nick as she glances down idly, tilting her head to and fro, noting the lack of ground floor windows, she frowns curtly and silently gestures upward, a heavy catwalk adorns the building's upper walls, its expanse trailing along the circumference of the buildings interior.

Nick would cast a glance upward and frown slightly, inspecting the broken windows that ran the upper area of the warehouse, he glances around before lowering his baton, he would speak up quietly. "I… could have sworn I saw something moving out here up near that broken window at your 12 o'clock, but there aren't any ground floor windows right? So if someone was to get in, might they still be hiding out in the lot?"

She glances about, her ears twitching slightly as she narrows her brow aiming to hone in on something. She responds curtly and continues her visual sweep, moving to take a few steps on into the building "That's what the floor plans say last I checked, but who is to say someone didn't just nick a hole into the side of the warehouse, those cargo containers out there are empty, it's what's in here that has me enthralled and curious…" Nick shifts uneasily, hand nervously thumbing the activation stub on his riot control gun, he glances about sniffing at the air as the duo worked their way into the facility. Heavy iron rafters overhead groaned with each wave of rain that came hammering down, several clear holes present in the roofing above, allowing water to fall into the building, pooling and ebbing where it lay, the scent of mold hanging heavily in the air.

Judy would shift, moving to press herself against one of the nearby crates as a sudden clatter from within the facility would put both of them on edge, each assuming a prepared stance as they inch their path around the rim of the nearest crate stacks. She would gesture swiftly, indicating for Nick to follow her advance, he pauses for only the slightest moment before giving a firm nod, indicating his willingness to follow her lead. She casts him a reassuring grin, before she reaches the edge of the crate wall, sliding her face forth, she peers about the corner, minimizing her profile and keeping her ears low, eyes sweeping at the beams of fractured like leaking through a broken nearby window.

Laying upon the cement flooring was a heavy crate, split wide open, the nails, despite being fresh and newly hammered, the crates contents were spilled forth onto the pitted and scarred flooring. Judy would shift and advance forward, raising her baton to chest level in a two handed grip as she rounds the corner, speaking up with a firm and commanding tone "ZPD, we know you're here, come out and reveal yourself, We just want to talk." She nods moving about, reaching the squat clearing in which the box lay. Massive tufts of dry packed hay fall in a mock shroud upon the floor, clearly obscuring that which was stored within, however it struck her as estranged that a container of its size would be merely empty. She scans the area, eyes darting about, moving from shadow to shadow within the loading area, her brow tensed in concentration.

All seemed fine, until one of the shadows detached itself from the wall and slowly skulked aside, moving along the catwalks overhead, as it skulked towards a window, Judy exclaims boldly as she moves to place her hand upon her taser, "You there! Halt!" The shadowy figure freezes sharply before attempting to bolt for the open window, scabbering forward upon all fours as they brazenly pushed for their only exit. However as they neared their point of destination, a squealing electro-bearing slug would strike the figure center mass, with a horrendous cry, they would skid to a halt, frozen in agony. Judy blinks before casting her glance over towards Nick, whom had taken upon a faux desperado stance akin to some western folk hero.

He flashes her a grin, flicking up his shades "Told ya Carrots, I've been hitting the range a bit before the shift begins, for just such an occasion…." With a flashy twirl, Nick holsters his less than lethal service weapon. Gesturing upwards towards the catwalks ladder as he nods "You scamper on up there and put the clamps on ol'sneaks aight? I'll clean up this mess down here with our broken crate friend…" Judy would flash a proud smile, a blossoming warmth welling in her chest, she flashes a wide grin and a crisp two fingered salute "Good work Officer Wilde, let's get this wrapped up."

With a defiant move, she clambers swiftly up the metal rungs of the bolted steel ladder, moving swiftly about the circumference of building as she rapidly approached the shadowed figure, the electro-slug still causing their frame to convulse and twitch rapidly as it kept their muscles locked down, she draws forth, unclasping her cuffs from her belt as she leans down, speaking clearly and with vested authority to the figure, "The slug will wear down soon, you are officially being detained under the charges of breaking and entering private property… You want to explain what gives you the right to skulk around in other people's property." She would cautiously advance once more, aiming to lean down and finally catch a good glimpse of what the figure's state was, and much to her chagrin the figure certainly was not a lovely sight. "Listen, you've got the right to remain silent of course, however if you want to make my friend and I's life a bit easier you'll talk, you didn't fight you ran… Clearly you aren't looking for-"

Her sentence is cut short as the figure frantically lunges forth towards her, standing vaguely a few feet taller than her the gaunt and frazzled figure of a canine leaps forth and weakly takes hold of her shoulders, fur patchy and mangy, flesh were visible scabbed and pit marked with scars, the once dense coat of fur that layered the canine, now a patchy mess of faded greys and blacks, a whilst their frame was gaunt and clearly food deprived, their was a wildness about their eyes that caught Judy off-guard, she stares in wide eyed shock as the figure spoke, a fearfully desperate tone strangling their voice "L-Look! Y-You have to help me!- I-I I came here to stop it, you, you can't let this continue! I know what's down there!"

Judy reels back, shocked and caught off-guard by the figures ramblings, she places a paw upon his chest and pushes back sharply, aiming to keep them away from her frame "Calm down! Let me go and step BACK" She raises her voice sharply and throws her weight forward, pushing her weight into the figures malnourished frame, they stagger back and collapse upon the catwalk, clearly tired and in a sharp lack of sleep.

They imploringly look up at her and clasp their paws before them, begging "Please! I beg of you! Hear me, we have to stop it! It's… It's not natural! It's made of us, but not by us, you have to help me destroy it!" He scabbers forth attempting to take hold of her ankle, nearly weeping "Its… Its a nightmare, each moment, eternally awake in the stillness of the night… please! Y-You…." They shift, outspeaking their lungs capacity as they wheeze and heave, gripping their chest as they roll to a side, laying shallowly as their hands clasp and weakly release, throat clenching sharply as their mouth wordlessly continues to speak.

Judy would kneel down, moving to claps her cuffs on the pathetic figures wrists, for her own protection she swore to herself… before she glances back down towards Nick, speaking up curtly "Ahhh…Mhmm, Nick? Don't… Don't touch anything down there alright? I need to radio into dispatch for a medical team and backup, this guy isn't right, He is showing signs of shock, but I don't see any visible wounds on him."

Nick would shift, palming the slight cylinder idly as he fumbles with what he supposes is the latch, before he catches her words, he glances upwards to her, spying the slight figure at her side, clearly down and out for the count, he tilts his head, flashing a confident grin on his face as he slightly continues to fiddle with the container "Aight, well you just be careful up there Carrots, I've got the place down here on lock, It's weird yeah? Easily a meter wide and tall crate and all they bothered packing was this measly little cylinder… Huh it's just weird you know?" He glances back down at the container, continuing to fiddle with its top.

She retorts to him "I know, that's why I am telling you not to toy with anything down there, it's a crime scene, don't tamper with the evidence." He snorts and casts a quick glance up at her and smirks "I am not tampering per-say I am merely extending my investigative abilities to broach the spooky metal cylinder" He shifts sliding his claw atop a slight tab, with some modicum of pressure he feels it move, he gives a self confident grin as he mutters "And, bingo found you, you sly little devil"

His adulation was cut short as the container sharply hisses, the upper reach of the container sharply disengaging with a loud decompressive crack of air, sharply a thick tar like substance rushed for the open air, oozing from the broken seal as it seeped forth, running down Nick's thumb, he blinks sharply, preparing to toss the container down, before the lid sharply ejected itself from the container, a thick bilious cloud of murky vapors rose from the containers inner reaches, wafting upwards into the air as it rapidly expanded, the thick tar upon contact with the open air, rapidly converted itself into the same gaseous state, racing about as it filled the slight corner Nick was now trapped within.

He glances about frantically attempting to see if what he had done was now endangering the facility and most importantly his partner but it was clear this voluminous upheaval of gas was contained and rapidly dissipating, however as this was a boon he himself had sharply inhaled once the container explosively ejected this smog, his lungs swelling with the unknown chemical as he is sent into a hacking and coughing fit, his respirator upon his belt, his hand reaching longingly for the purity of air as he felt his vision grey out along the edges, his frame wavering as he staggers, darkness ebbing about his vision as he collapses upon the cold stone floor, the thick smog dissipating, faintly seemingly across the void of space between them, he could hear Judy, shouting at him, half in cursing tongue half in frantic worry as his vision faded, his last sight was the slight figure of the bunny, leaping down from the catwalk and racing towards his side… With the slow ebbing of the world before him he could feel his body wearily heave shortly before all faded into an empty black empyrean sea, his mind lost among the eddies of the realm of unconsciousness….


	3. Chapter 3

Listless and drifting among the inky shadows that swirled and danced about the seemingly endless void, Nick found himself adrift. His frame feeling compressed, stretched and pulled about at seemingly random, fruitlessly he swiped about attempting to snag hold of something, anything truthfully within this stygian abyss. Yet his paws found no purchase nor his hands among the wisps of smoke that danced about him toyingly. His lungs ached, longing for the purity of sweet uncorrupted air, his hands danced about attempting to clear the smog from his face and his vision, yet once more with each hand stroke the smoke would merely refill its missing void, laying heavily upon itself as he drifted listlessly, his eyes resting closed as his strength began to wane. The air about him cold, frigid almost, his fur was blown about by some unseen or felt breeze as he drifts aimlessly, the realm about him seeming so surreal, it was impossible to fathom the width and breadth, it felt as if he would merely continue to remain afloat for eternity.

His mind reached longingly for the warmth of sunlight once more upon his face, dreaming, hoping for a release from this torment, he opens his maw to speak, hoarse voice echoing emptily in the expanse "I… I couldn't have known this… whatever it is would happen."

His drifting carrying him forth, his mind prepared for the inevitable, when he felt something brush against the bottom of his paws, he flinches slightly, glancing downward sharply as he attempts to spy what exactly he'd made contact with, his weight slowly coming to place upon a slick surface, the trailing wisps of smoke dancing away to reveal… stone? Worn stone it would seem, water blasted and deteriorated. He shifts his stance, his toes flexing as he feels a wet sensation, a dull rumble issuing from about him… a slow building noise that reached into a gentle crescendo. He strained his ears glancing about him as he tried to take in the noise, the sound.. familiar to him in some ways. He blinks and furrows his brow glancing about as he moves a pace forward, the murky shadows parting on his path "Wait…. Wait I know that sound, water? No… but it can't be it sounds like… tidal movement? Waves? Where…" He pauses stepping forth as a foamy rush of bitterly frigid water dances across the surface of his path from the shadows around, slicking the trail heavily, causing him to nearly lose his balance on his following step.

With hands outstretched he made his way forward, across the uneven stones, their sandy surfaces blasted smooth and in strange shapes by the heaving of the water, he splashed along head craning to and fro as he slowly and wearily raised his voice, cupping his hands to his mouth to shout out "Judy?... Judy are you here? Something… Something is very wrong here… Anyone?" He shifts continuing along the uneven path, the trail leading him upward, he glances up, the slight face of a moderate incline revealing itself, comprised of chipped stones and pitted rock, each blasted once by the softly rumbling waves. He frowns curtly and shifts, taking a proper balanced stance before he tosses himself upward, snagging hold of the stone face with his claws and fingertips, sinking them into any ledge no matter the scale. He shifts, moving to pull himself upwards along the face of stone, glancing about idly as he begins to mutter to himself "Greeat going Nick, bunny tells you not to do something, and what happens, you do it… and now here we are here… trapped among our dear friends stones and more stones… Feh I suppose this is what you could call being stuck between a rock and a hard place…" He pauses, trying his hardest to make light of the situation..

He halts his climbing for a moment and shakes his head "Owch… yeah that was just bad, memo to self… Keep terrible puns under wraps…Just shut up Nick, that's what she would say.." He grunts hauling himself upward, his uniform growing mucky and dirty, a sharp outcropping splitting his shoulder's seem, rending the cloth there, he frowns and mutters a curse "Son of… I just got this fitted properly…Alright, focus, so here we are, climbing a near vertical cliff face, without proper gear, its a great plan, amazing plan..." He reaches upward, his fingers clasping to what he supposed was a firm outcropping till he felt it shift suddenly, he glances upwards as the ledge he'd clasped onto buckle and break, his weight slipping backwards as he was shifted off balance, for but a brief moment, nearly 9 meters from the jagged ground, he felt himself strike a sharp pang of fear, his eyes locked worriedly on the nearest upcoming lip of stone, knowing full well if he were to fall and strike the stones below him, something of him would be shattered irreparably due in no small part to the uneven nature of the stones below him. As he slides sharply downwards, his claws scabber for a grip anywhere. As he winces and braces for the inevitable, he feels himself take hold of solid stone and come to a jarring halt. He exhales tiredly, body quivering slowly as he feels his racing heart still, his blood rushing through his veins, a surge of energy and the drive to survive…. It was exhilarating, yet entirely terrifying in the same measure, after several slow and ragged breaths, he mutters "Never again… Watch your footing stupid, don't do something you would regret…"

With careful precision he moves to continue his climb, his hands and claws digging into the the stone as he broaches upwards, each movement slow and calculated, ".. See this is what she was saying about not being careful, it's gonna bite me in the rear sometime soon I swear it... But heck who knows where I really am.." He says with a rough grunt making a slight leap upwards to the neck ledge. "Maybe this is just a reaction, you know? Took a few bits of antibiotics for the cut I got last week… yeah… And it's just a bad reaction…Yeah that's gotta be the case, though I admit, I've never heard of this things being this lucid..." He shifts and places his clawed hand upon the next ledge, sharply feeling something inherently different with the stone then the prior rock outcroppings before, were as the stone before was smooth and slightly rough in texture, the object his fingers are caressing, was something, chiseled, something crafted it would seem, the texture and feel was of engraved stone, with moderate dips and slight bumps every now and then .

He hauls himself up, enough to gain a visual of the rocks in question, furrowing his brow as he does so, confused at what would be present at this strange angle and place. "What in the name of... Hello, what are you now." He pauses, tilting his head as he spies the strange object in question, carved into the stone face were stone glyphs, carved unto the stone clearly somewhat faded giving them a worn appearance, however the design and shape of the stone before him was utterly alien to himself. He tilts his head, sweeping over the various symbols and dancing lines and images, attempting to piece what he was seeing together in his mind.

The stone before him sat differently from the rest of the inclines formation, it was old, stone a blatantly different color compared to the stone that was found around it. Upon its surface deep inscriptions rested upon its face, elegantly done with no sense of crude work left in place, dancing lines and sharp dots punctuated the script. His eyes danced across its surface attempting to garner any and all information presented to him on his object, the wisps of smoke slightly obscuring the text presented. From his expert opinion, it was old, extremely so, something unsettled him about the manner in which it was placed and carved, a few figures, etched and drawn onto the stone drawing his attention, a formless mass seemed to be heaving on the stone's face, fleeting figures dancing about it, almost in… adulation? "Strange… very creepy, I have to say this takes a good chunk of my creepy experiences to bat…"

He pauses, dancing his eyes about it till they found their rest upon the figure atop the pinnacle of the stone, a stooped poorly etched figure sat upon a chiseled.. Rock? Throne? It was unclear due to the brutality of its weathering.. However despite the crude nature of the depiction, the squat figure's features were obscured harkening to a formless mass, tendrils reaching forth towards him, leaving only the haziest view of what it might possibly truly be. As Nick strained to see what this was, he felt a growing pain in the back of his head, a dull throb that only grew the more he strained to spy and devise the nature of the figure… something struck him as macabre about this, something occult and unnatural in the feelings this crudely scratched image dredged from his heart. He shifts, feeling his focus being consumed, he moves to twist his head away from the graven image, the feeling of pressure growing behind his temple, his heart danced within his chest, an unbidden wave of fear and dread for what this image forebore. There was something primordial something, unnatural about this fear, he felt as if he was gazing under the visage of something far older than himself, something wrought and malicious, for he stared unto the abyss with this engraved blasphemy… and the abyss was staring back. He shifts, eyes rapidly glancing downwards, panic overtaking him in a bout of irrational fear, he shifts wanting to be free.. Away from this image, from these feelings from this inexplicable terror… With a frantic heave, he tightly shut his eyes, striving to block out the feelings that rushed about his mind and moved to throw himself free from the cliff face, and plummet unto the inky shadows and stones below… With a defiant motion, he did so, straight forth unto the shadows below.

He was falling, the world turning about him as he drifted down and down, the world suddenly awash with a streak of scarlet across the midnight sky, his heart pulsing sharply, as it almost felt as if his heart had come to a halt. He clutched his chest as a titanic wave of pain washed over him, ripping through his nerves and biting into his body with unbridled savagery. With a strangled cry, he snapped open his eyes feeling the presence of heat and light through his eyelids, a burning light blinding him and drying his eyes as he cried out, arms violently coming forth, as they strained, something binding him, he flexes frantically as he strains against the bindings, fearing something beyond the light was attempting to draw him forth, encircle him and drag him back down into the realms of fear that he so desperately strove escape. With his pulse pounding in his ears he cried out, a strangled cry of terror and inexorable loneliness… He was truly to meet his end here, wasn't he?

"...Nick?! Nick!" A frantic female voice resounded and echoed in the wash of light, he froze, he… He knew this voice, something inherently within him knew the voice that called unto him. His frenzied flailing and straining grew lax, his body heaving with each rapid and shallow breath, the smog clearing away from his vision as he felt the warm glow of sterile lighting above him, casting a blinding light upon his countenance. He twitches sharply, eyes blinking to adjust to the harsh overhead lights. "Nick?! Nick! He moved he is moving! Can you hear me?" As his vision cleared, he vaguely could make out a splotch of grey upon the watercolors that were the world, a familiar almost warm spot of grey among the stark white about it.. Slowly his vision resolved into view, his eyes blinking away the murky depths of this, dream? Sharply Judy resolved into view, her familiar and cordial face twisted in a look of distraught fear, shimmering amethyst eyes wide in concern as she watched him intently, nose twitching eagerly at each of his movements. "Nick…. Are.. Are you alright? Can you hear me?"

Nick shifts slowly, resting fully in the warm embrace of the soft white linens, his body tired, drained almost, the ordeal he suffered had thoroughly drained him of his energy, he opens his mouth, muffled by a respirator, voice weak and cracking, "Judes? Is… What, where am I? I'm dead.. R-right?" He winces, wheezing out a chuckle, feeling fully elated to see Judy, however when she failed to even slight a smile upon her face, he knew something was afoot.

She tilts her head, placing a hand lightly upon his arm, as she shakes her head "No… No your not dead, you stupid fox, but… What happened to you? Something, came out of whatever you were piddling with, it choked up half the warehouse… I tried to pull you out but by the time I reached you…" She pauses and shakes her head voice wavering "You were… in bad shape, EMT's arrived as soon as they possibly could, we got you straightened out and hauled out on a med-evac, you've been out for nearly a day...are… are you alright?"

Nick tilts his head, cracking another half-hearted smile, his unshakeable facade blearily rising, his tone and voice aiming to soothe his partner "Heh… Yeah, I suppose something bad did happen. I don't.. Really remember, I had certainly the craziest dream whilst I was out to say the least, you know what they say, beautiful people need their beauty sleep, I was just catching some zzz's…" He nods, attempting to reach out and pat Judy between her ears, his arms suddenly lock only a few inches off the bed, he glances down, tugging again, only to find heavy straps binding him down to the hospital bed. He glances up worriedly at his partner and speaks in a quivering tone "Judy… What's… what's wrong? Why is this here…"

Judy would shift and raise her hands, lightly placing them upon his forearm, as he tugged again, still dazed and reeling"Listen… You… The staff said you woke up once before, you said a few things and then…" She trails off and shakes her head, lightly stroking his forearm reassuringly as she nods "It's just a precaution…"

Nick shifts, eyes widening slightly, as he tilts his head listening along to this information "... And? What did I do that required me to be lashed down like this…" He shifts attempting to move his feet, only to find himself clasped down in a similar fashion… He was anchored in place it would seem, his heart rate slowly rose in his chest, lightly chewing on his bottom lip worriedly at the implications of his current position.

Judy shifts and clasps her eyes shut and exhales in defeat, speaking softly as she nods "The hospital staff said you tried to claw yourself, there are scratches and cuts on your torso, they did it to keep you from hurting yourself…They said you were… frantic, crazed, their words not mine."She would shift about and place her hand over her mouth lightly, observing Nick, with either the intention to keep him safe, or worryingly enough keep others safe from him. Her intentions as of yet were unclear.

Nick shifts, glancing down to find, surely enough his own stomach heavily bandaged, heavy gauze rolls wound about his midriff, he blinks spying spots of faded crimson faintly visible through the heavy padding. He glances once more at her a sharp pang of worry welling up in his voice "I.. I what? I don't… I don't remember doing that… I didn't… I wouldn't… Nobody else was hurt right?"

Judy shifts and glances away, the quiet pain behind her eyes and the troubled musing provided him the answer he dreaded. "Nick… the Chief wants to speak with you about the incident, folks have been talking, let's just leave it at that..."


	4. Chapter 4

Within the folds of the Center District, sits a heavy and wide campus, stark in its appearance to the surrounding buildings, the structure having been constructed nearly a century ago, was built with the latest and finest technology in its era, however as the ever marching passage of time crept slowly onward, the once immaculate building slowly slumped forth and sagged under the weight of time. It's once secure red masonry walls that encircled its dimension now stood paled tribute to the ebb and flow of the living and the dead whom had made their stay either temporarily or permanently within this once stellar halls. Weaving to and fro within the stories that ensconced this place were the perpetual tales of this hospitals darker origin from times when those sick of the mind would be contained within its once hallowed halls, however such a past however prevalent would linger on in hushed whispers, or quiet rumor.

Within the confines of this labyrinthian establishment, Nick would twitch worriedly as he was hauled forth from his idle musing unto the stark white of his infirmary room, the hospital staff only approaching once a detail from the hospital security were present for the transfer of the patient to the lower levels of the structure. A stout ewe nurse would wearily draw forth, under the careful overwatch of a duo of wolf orderlies, whilst Nick stared on. Starkly confused and growing sharply unbemused at this utterly alien treatment, He would quickly purse his lips as the female figure slowly worked to unclasp his restraints, his eyes flicking down sharply to catch the shake and waiver of her hands as she worked, clearly each one of his even breaths causing her to flinch ever so slightly. His mind reeled in overwhelming concern, turning his head slowly and with careful deliberation towards Judy, whom had elected to remain at his side for the duration of the move.

Judy stood by, arms across her chest, idly chewing nervously upon her knuckle as she watches the nurse go about her work of unbinding Nick, she had thus far failed to make eye contact with him, her stance and posture one of weariness muddled heavily with the overtones of concern, she would speak up after a short while, much to the chagrin of the ewe working at her task, her voice soft and even. "Look, I understand the security concern presented here, but I am asking you, as a member of the Zootopia Police Commission… Just let me escort him down to the conference hall, we don't need all this… distress for what is going to be a simple walk."

The Ewe would huff, she turns from her task, shifting back several paces from Nick's side, his legs still firmly anchored to the bed, she reaches forth and taps her name tag sharply with a look of displeasure wrote plainly across her features, her harsh voice rumbling forth "What does this say? I am Mulfie, /head/ nurse of this ward, I am working under the instructions of the senior doctor and psychologist, your partner was deemed unfit for release and reintegration at this current moment.. I am aware of your authority Officer Hopps when it comes to jurisdiction, but you will understand that unless your superior orders me to release him, Officer Wilde will remain under restraint until we can properly diagnose his condition, your pushing your luck by forcing this meeting you all must so desperately hold… Sir, I need you to remain calm and brook no sudden movements, do you understand?" She glances sharply back at Nick, the two orderlies placing their paws upon their batons, watching silently with disdain upon their features.

Nick slowly shrugs his shoulders, refusing to move his arms under the threat of a pummelling it would seem from the orderlies, he nods slowly and calmly, ensuring they were aware of its intent to comply "Look, I.. Don't really know what happened, whatever you think I did, I can assure you I am completely innocent. R-Right Hopps? You can vouch for me on this one, aye? You know me I wouldn't hurt a fly… well.. Maybe a fly, he has to be really-"

Judy sharply clears her throat, casting daggers with her eyes at Nick, he sharply clamps his mouth shut and nods slowly, knowing full well she was not in the mood for jokes. He felt his heart sink, his mind racing to pry at the inky blackness that was his memory, he furrowed his brow attempting to peel back the layers of confusion and seeming emptiness that comprised what was approximately a four hour ordeal before he passed into the unconscious realm. The Nurse shifts, releasing Nick's legs as she gestures sharply for him to move about and stand, she lifts her hand and indicates for him to halt "You will stand still, you will be outfitted with a retention vest, do you understand? If you do not comply you will be sedated, understood?" She nods warningly as another nurse shuffles into the room, bearing a stark white garb, the abnormally long sleeves and heavy material slowly giving Nick a sense of clarity for what was at hand. "A… A strait jacket? Your.. your kidding right? I mean is all that really necessary, I.. I consent, this isn't permanent at least right?"

The nurse shifts and moves about, moving to outfit him, bodily moving him into the jacket as she slides his hands into the constricting sleeves, her head turning up with a mixture of resignation and firm caution "That determination is up to the senior staff and your Chief, until they formally instruct this to be removed you will remain in the vest during supervised and unsupervised spans." She nods moving to link the long and heavy sleeves into various loops that ran along the vests sides and upon its back. She moves nimbly lacing the vests sleeves about before locking them with a banded belt to his back, his arms now crossed at his stomach, he glances around. Upon his skin he feels the brush of pitted cloth, slits and cracks from the previous occupants throes of rage as they tore upon the vest, he begins to shake slightly, the panic slowly setting in upon him.

Judy shifts, catching the sharp twitching of Nick's ear, she finally breaks her stoic stance and moves over sliding along side of him, Nick's nose twitching as his lip quivers slightly, she reaches forth and lightly places a hand upon his upper arm, gesturing towards her face as she speaks quietly as the nurses depart momentarily. "Nick, hey listen to me, this is only temporary. They are just scared, alright? I know you, you're stronger than this alright? Just stay with me, we will talk with the chief, smooth things over and get you back home at least, sounds good?"

Nick casts a quick glance over towards her, his body shaking, his voice dropping to soft tone, clearly wavering "Judy… this, this is my worst nightmare, I.. I didn't do anything wrong right? I-I don't remember anything it was just… gone it's blank, you never answered my question why is this all happening? What could I possibly have done that…" He shifts and shakes his head sharply, not wishing to finish this statement, as he brushes his knuckles against the pits and claw torn threads of the sleeves "You know crazies wear these things right? I am not crazy, I don't deserve this…"

Before Judy could proffer a response, the nurse returned, wheeling a two wheeled hand truck, she glances up and nods, indicating for Nick to step on the platform it bore. He shifts wearily and moves, standing firmly upon the mover as the secondary nurse moves forth to bind his legs once more to the hand truck, several straps lashed across his chest as he stares at the overhead lights. Their sharp and stark sterile lights churning his stomach, as he was lashed down as if he were no more than some savage feral, the secondary nurse tugs sharply upon a heavy strap that ran across his chest, he grunts with a huff and flashes her a displeased look "Easy there, you know I am still here right? I am not a package yet…" She flashes him a displeased look and loops the straps tighter, much to his displeasure. After a few cursory inspections, and several chats with the orderlies, the duo of nurses finally departs, Nick firmly anchored to the hand truck, as he glances about, waiting for the inevitable. Judy shifts and stands at his side, clearly mulling over what she was to say to the chief when they finally meet him.

A few moments languished into a batch, before the larger of the wolf orderlies moved forth, clasping the handles at Nick's back before he turned about moving to push Nick free from the room, wheeling him about as they made their way into the hall. Nick cast swift glances to and fro down the length of the hall, taking in the scene about him. Stationed at both ends were a duo of armed guards, clearly keeping the footpath clear as the leading orderly moved to cart Nick forth down the corridor. The doors on either side of his head tightly clasped shut and most likely locked and sealed from within, he feels his stomach churn, what exactly had happened to instigate this level of security. He waits idly trundled down a lengthy stark corridor devoid of any presence aside from the ominous orderlies. Judy remains at his side as they round a corner, moving to approach a heavy and squat elevator, clearly far out of the way. It was readily apparent that this was not a elevator utilized by the common hospital goer, but for all intents and purposes was a freight elevator. Nick winced sharply as they board, the heavy truck bumping roughly upon the faded and brutally scuffed tile of the floor, with a flick of his paw, the orderly electronically clasped the doors shut and flicked one of the lower buttons on the call list. Nick narrows his eyes slightly when he spies the LED counter ticking down, moving past 1, well into the lower regions markers, displeased as the ticket counted firmly to LL 2, knowing full well that this was underground in some capacity.

Upon reaching the prescribed level, the heavy doors would shift hissing slightly as their pneumatic drives would slowly haul them aside, leaving the empty and barren corridor beyond, onward he was trundled. The corridors he was now travelling utterly alien compared to what he was enduring in the hospital above, the walls were composed of damp heavy red masonry bricks, their pitted and faded nature betraying their age, he shifts uneasily as the harsh incandescent lights over-head pass sparsely, their flashing glow only present every few seconds, the deep shadows betraying his sight and frazzling his nerves as he was carted further beyond, down a narrow string of corridors, till brought before a heavy steel door. The wide and heavy construction betrayed its purpose, the stout wrought iron of the frame clearly anchored the door itself and its frame into the stone with purposeful overhang, leaving the mind to wander over what was to be contained with such, the room beyond even more barren than the myriad of corridors winding and snaking to its juncture.

Sparse, was one of the myriad of words one would devise whilst in taking the view of the hospital's isolation ward, the well seated labyrinth that ran below the pavement and bustle of the city above was all but insulated against the world above and beyond its fold. The heavy walls stood stoically by, formed from an earlier age, heavy brick and mortar forming the foundations in which the small and damp room remained. The heavy arch of the masonry gave the room a slightly vaulted feeling, exposed wire conduit enclosed and shielded by a long tubing of PVC, running down the contours of the wall till it vanished between the shapes of two crimson bricks. The stark auburn colors of the room, gave it a somewhat ominous feeling and aura about it. Whilst not the first choice for the planned rendezvous with the Chief and his officers freshly returned from the field, it was at the insistence of the hospital's staff that they utilize the disused isolation ward as their location of correspondence.

A heavy steel table sat squarely in the center of the room, covering a small drainage hole that sat squarely below it, from what he could tell even the table itself was bolted to the floor, sitting across from Nick, sat the imposing form of the Chief. Bogo was leaning heavily upon his hand, his face firmly planted in his palm, as the orderlies wheeled Nick within and deposited him unceremoniously before the chief, failing even bother unlatching him, as they turn briskly on heel and move to depart, leaving the cold silence between the trio within the room. Nick glances towards Judy, unsure if he should begin speaking, she casts an equally confused look towards Nick before the guttural sound of Bogo's voice broke the silence. "Officer Wilde, Hopps. I want you to understand the great lengths I was forced to undergo to appropriate a room in which we were able to speak… I was due to review a list of cases that had swamped my desk a few hours ago when your call… Officer Hopps, came in across the radio." He glances up, rubbing his eyes slowly, with restrained care as he waits, the silence looming between them. He cracks his eye and glances between the two of them, voice low in tone "You may speak freely for this moment, I want to know what happened…"

Judy speaks up first moving forward, as she proffers both her hands in a placating gesture "Chief… I know this looks bad, but I can vouch for Nick, what happened in the warehouse wasn't his fault, nor when he was in ER. I filed my report fully and fairly sir, all the information is present at your disposal." She nods and shifts heavily from foot to foot, a bit nervous looking clearly reading something from the situation that was lost to Nick.

Nick nods his head slowly and speaks up, his tone even and collected, bearing only the slightest quiver of confusion over this discussion " I… I honestly haven't the foggiest of what's going on, truthfully Chief, the last thing I recall was fiddling with.. Whatever was in those black vials, I thumbed one and it flicked on. Yes, I know it's a stupid mistake and a rookie on at that, but there had to be other eve- Wait… What happened in the ER?" He pauses, his mind finally catching up with his mouth as he casts a worried glance towards Judy, whom was wringing her hands furiously, ears hanging low. "No, honestly, what happened in the ER? Did… I don't remember anything it's… It's just a void after I broke that container."

Bogo shifts, glancing up heavily as he places his hand upon his chin, resting idly as the veins in his formidable biceps slowly grew taut, his tone low in warning, laden heavily with deep and stinging sarcasm. "Oh? What happened in the ER you ask… Officer Wilde, I have dealt with a myriad of cases in my tenure as an officer with the ZPD. But never.. I repeat never have I dealt nor answered frantic calls to the hospital, that one of my officers mauled a student nurse that was supervising him…" He shifts, slapping his heavy hand upon the table as he leans over, jaw popping as he glances between the two of them. "When you were brought in, you were what the doctors feared was catatonic, unresponsive and unmoving. Your vitals were low…" He shifts flipping open a manilla folder upon the desk, staring at the duo as he continues "Your body was unresponsive to stimuli, and you remained in this state for… Oh let's give or take three hours, yeah?" He shifts and flicks the pages in silences for a few moments before glancing back up "Before you awoke, screaming like the dickens the nurses reported the following, the scene was caught on the hospitals closed circuit cameras, these stills are from a much longer video…" He shifts and removes several images from the folder, and slides them towards Nick turning them about.

"The first image is taken several moments after you awoke, you started screaming, clawing at the walls as you, and I quote 'Tried to scale the wall with tooth and nail'" He nods and slides the image across, and Nick recoiled in a mixture of disgust and horror, it was him. In the image, his frame having torn free from the gown they had presented him with, his face aflame in a look that he couldn't recognize. The images displayed showed him wreaking havoc upon the ER room, overturning the monitoring equipment as he tore at his own flesh. Nick recoils in horror, glancing back up, utterly mortified of what he was viewing. Bogo continues however, "After you started attempting to harm yourself, the nurses attempted to restrain you… You understand you put one young lasses into critical care? Do you recall any of this?"

The Chief would slide forth yet another barrage of images, screens from his manic outbreak, he tore savagely at the wires connecting him to the machines, leaving IV tubes hanging listlessly about as as he had rended a drip into nothing more than twisted and bent metal, the sheets ripped and shredded upon the cot in which they kept him, deep crimson stains remaining where he had laid. The second image in sequence, chilled Nick to the bone, it seemed as if a younger female nurse, a beaver had moved forth to try and ensnare Nick, he had somehow writhed free of her grip and wheeled about, the image frozen as his fangs latched horrifically down upon the pleading figure, her hands clasped around his muzzle in desperation as she spasmed in his grip as she was frozen in her muted cries…

Nick frantically shakes his head turning away in building panic "No.. No there is no way this is real, I couldn't I am not.. I am not like that..", breath coming quickly as he stared down in horror at the presented images. The images retelling the scene, his mind reeling in slowly blossoming panic as he could almost feel the scene replayed before his mind's eye, the horrified cries of the medical staff, a copper and salt taste hanging about his tongue, he swallows dryly as he nervously clenches and releases his fists within the confines of the increasingly smothering jacket, he glances to and fro as his heart rate continues to rise, feeling as if the room itself was constricting upon him, closing slowly about him as the air seemed to grow short in his lungs, his ears twitch slightly, there myriad and cascade of nervous ticks sharply drew Judy's attention, his eyes cast themselves over towards her, almost imploringly.

She would slowly intake a breath and speak up firmly and evenly "Chief Bogo, I would suspect it would be reasonable to presume that Officer Wilde was merely suffering the side-effects of the chemical he was exposed to, he seems lucid and aware now at least, I doubt he would have willingly undertaken such actions if he were not under external influences.." She nods quietly glancing at Nick, a worried but assured look wrote upon her countenance.

Nick springs for the life line cast to him and nods quickly, speaking up as his breath slowly caught back up with him, the ebbing shadows drifting away as his vision normalized. "Y-Yesh chief, I can assure you that none of this is in my waking mind, I wouldn't do anything to compromise the department nor our credibility as upstanding officers of the law, you have to believe me chief, I wouldn't want to hurt…" He pauses as his eyes drift yonder, lingering slightly upon one of the nurses present within the colored security footage, garbed in an estranged mustard colored attire, her uniform somewhat different than the others, identification was hard as she faced away from the camera, the pauses and nudges his nose towards the image "Hey… Hey who is that? She looks familiar.. Who is she?"

Bogo glances down and shifts to the image and glances once more back up towards Nick, inhaling slowly "I was hoping, that you would tell me Officer Wilde, As she has somehow slipped the security's ring and exited the building… The last time we saw her was within the room with you… well shortly before you…" Bogo shifts and lays down another image and slides it forth, contained within the still frame was a estranged nurse leaning over Nick's comatose frame, lightly dabbing his brow with a moist sponge, as she leaned forth, almost seeming as if she was speaking with him… Bogo glances up once more curtly at Nick and nods "Any idea what was being said here?"

Nick winces, something about the figures nature and their unerring cunning at evading police lines left him uneasy with the situation, he would glance down once more, watching the shimmers of light that were his memories proverbially dance merely out of reach,something striking him as inherently wrong with the figure. He would shake his head to and fro as his mind finally runs firmly out of possible suspects, he glances once more back at Bogo a long silence hanging between the group before he spoke, shattering the thin veil of contemplation the trio had undertaken "No Sir, I don't recall anything from my time up there in the warehouse or… during this spat in the ER"

He shifts about uneasily feeling the rough fabric of the jacket mull upon his fur and bare flesh, the deep stains within the jacket nothing none too well to calm his frazzled nerves. He would shift and speak up once more, a soft and imploring tone, inwardly aware that this rabbit hole proverbially just grew several meters deeper unto the unrelenting darkness of the unknown." … If.. if it's all the same to you sir, I would like to get back into the field… Unless there is something else I need to know?" He waited nervously as his words hung worriedly in the open air, the Chief's face contorted in contemplation, as he works his jaw, flipping back through the myriad of images laid before them, eyes lingering on the still frame of Nick, awash in scarlet rivulets of his own making, bloody furrows dancing upon his torso, as he leaped for the cowering nurses whom had drawn themselves away from him in panic…

After several agonizing moments, his coarse voice rumbles forth, the Chief locking eyes with Nick "... I don't have anything to hold you on, the folks in the lab are taking a look at the chemical but are yet to determine its precise nature or purpose… as such it's currently a dead end anyway to pursue…" The Chief drums his heavy fingers upon the metal table, the groaning metal creaking under his musings, he slowly shuts his eyes, and continues "You've never once given me cause to doubt your ability, you managed to handle the Night howler situation evenly enough on your own…Very well, I will have the nurse injured compensated from the city's funding.. As for you Officer Wilde you are under paid leave whilst we investigate and attempt to pin down the origin point for this… toxin.."

Judy releases a pent up sigh of relief, unknowingly having crossed her fingers, she speaks up and clears her throat as she gestures towards Nick "Chief, May I request permission to assume the watch detail over Officer Wilde, It would be wise to put him under observation until we can fully ascertain what exactly that chemical was comprised of…" She nods, glancing over at Nick with a clear face written and covered in relief, as the Chief would shift about in his chair, waving a dismissive hand gruffly.

"Very well Officer Hopps, You are on Nick's detail, I expect reports from you on his status, We've enough fresh blood coming in that we can afford to keep you on this duty for a time… However I expect you to go forth in this duty with clarity of mind, are we crystal?"

Judy would perk up, her ears standing upright as she snaps a crisp salute, moving to stand at Nick's side, perky as ever it would seem. "Of course Chief, I will ensure that Officer Wilde receives the proper care he requires and will remain in the location of your choice until the specified time or until relieved." She nods and moves to idly tug at Nick's straitjacket, idly moving as she works to unbind his legs, the Chief glances up at Nick and casts him a warning glance, something clearly was afoot that Bogo was unwilling to betray Nick surmised. The heavy bags below his eyes betraying a myriad nights lacking sleep, the weary movements of the Chiefs frame lead anyone with half a mind to surmise that there was more to this case than mere illicit trafficking.

With a heavy sigh the Chief rises and keys up his radio "Porkin, relay message as follows, Officer Wilde is cleared for release, alert the staff and instruct them to direct any problems with the situation to me, I will be handling it, I repeat Officer Wilde is cleared for release. Officer Hopps is the supervising agent, understood?" With one last long and forlorn look, Bogo would rise and head to depart as Judy worked to unbind Nick from the hand truck. Bogo mutters something under his breath as he leaves, leaving the duo once more alone in the cold confines and care of the unforgiving stone and unrelenting silence…


	5. Chapter 5

For the rest of the evening’s daylight, the duo wove and danced about the countless policies and procedures the institution required to discharge a patient they were so swift to codify as high risk, Nick’s hand ached with the countless waivers and affidavits he was required to sign to confirm and ensure his compliance and the responsibility of the department in the event of something going terribly wrong outside of their ever watching surveillance. He would sigh, finally free and moving across the expansive front lot of the campus, rolling his arm lightly as he releases a groan, “Oh man, that was a bit much don’t ya think? I mean after the sixth paper I signed you woulda thought they would get the hint that I am alright, eh Carrots?”

Judy would glance up as she strolls alongside her partner, ears twitching idly as she flashes him a worried grin “Yeah Nick, it’s a bit over the top I have to say, It’s a bit overbearing and a bit controlling that they whom are a private institution feel they have the right to demand so much from public sector workers, I mean we do keep them safe and I can’t count the number of times over the last few months that we’ve been called out there to deal with someone else acting strange or out of control.” She would shift and lightly pop her neck as she moves to remove her keys, opening her assigned cruiser, whilst idly clambering inside with a relieved exhale.

Nick quirks his brow and shifts sliding into the passenger side as he leans back, gesturing idly towards her with a playful tone, attempting to break apart the uneasy and murky aura between them “Now Officer Hopps, I do believe it’s against the rules to drive your assigned car whilst off duty…” He chuckles idly clasping his belt, feeling the course material of the belt brush against the bandages about his midriff, drawing a painted yip from him as he attempts to stifle and hide his doubling over. He would glance up to see Judy eyeing him with a mixture of concern and disbelief.

“Watch out.. Stop trying to hurt yourself you dumb fox, the last thing we need to happen are for your stitches to reopen, just take it easy and keep the movement light, no one’s racing here” She intones firmly as she fires up the cruiser, pulling forth from the parking lot as she idly waited at a idle stop sign, she would reach out and fiddle with her mirrors, her ticks clearly betraying something behind her motives, “So… we are heading to your place right? If I recall it is friday, and I’ve got the weekend off… Well as ‘off’ as a watch duty can be whilst you’re recovering. Do you mind If I stay over? You’ve got a bit more room then I do.” She shifts, trying to play coy acting as casually as she could, however her latent talents for deception seemed to fail her in this instant. 

Nick quirks the corner of his lips slightly, trying to fight off a chuckle as he shifts, placing a elbow upon the armrest between them as his tail sweeps to and fro “Ooo~ Officer quite a bold request I must say, eager to keep our friday engagements and plans I see?” His teasing jabs towards her goaded and idly prodded the slight bunny, as she huffs and puffs out one of her cheeks idly taking them about, heading down another side street. Nick clearly was savoring this stint of normality, something familiar to relax within. His mind shoving aside the unfolded events of the past few days as he attempts to gingerly slide back into his old life and ascribed routines. 

Judy huffs and releases her breath, and speaks in an even tone, clearly choosing her words carefully “D’oh Nicholas Wilde, you are a pain in my tail I swear to you.” She remains quiet for a few moments, the turns taking them forth as they reach the final leg of the route unto Nick’s domicile, before she speaks up once more, “Mhmm… Well Officer Wilde, I must say that it is my responsibility to ensure that you remain clear in your mind and without incident. That being so, I see no reason why my watch cannot take place in your personal abode, and I see no reason why we cannot strive to return to a bit of normality…. “ She finishes on a more somber tone, as they pull forth, idly turning into the fairly cosmopolitan structure, the well constructed and design squat structure sat idly by as the first few spatterings of rain began to accost the cruiser's windshield. She furrows her brow and glances upward as she silences the engine and idly unbuckles herself “Huh, I wasn’t aware it was supposed to rain, weren’t the forecasts to be clear?”

Nick shifts and slowly slides his way free from the passenger seat, giving a wry chuckle “Does it really matter? We planned to stay indoors anyway… Come on then I’ll take you up, hopefully you can help me Officer as I may stagger and stumble a bit as I reach my room” He jokingly feigns a stagger or two as he makes his way up the flight of stairs that apex to the gate into the community. He glances around, still feeling a growing pride well up inside him as he felt the weight of his success bear upon him. Having gone from merely peddling goods on the side of the street to managing his funds from his former life, all whilst raking in the income from his new employment with the ZPD, he felt as if he finally had reached his valhalla.

Judy shifts and moves along with him, entering into the courtyard of the complex, passing by the floral arrangements in the center of the open yard, heading upward another flight of stairs before arriving at the door to Nick’s home. She speaks up with the merest hint of indignation, layered evenly with subtle affection “Yeah, I am sure that was the original plan.. Hopefully you don’t fall over and harm yourself or it’s back to the hospital with you, and I am certain the security officers there are ripe looking forward for your beautiful complexion and jovial personality to return.”

Nick winced and hardly managed to hide his shudder ears twitching at the flash of recollection, as he unlocks the simple exterior door and moves inside, flicking on the lights as he glances back at Judy “Oh yeah, I am more than certain they want to see me back around, It would be the end of the road for me… Did you catch the way the one fellow was looking at me? I could have sworn he was looking for an excuse to crack my head.” He shifts moving into the home, idly tossing aside his wallet and keys on a tall table at the doors side, he moved and idly tugged his tie free and moved about.

Whilst the apartment wasn’t anything stellar, it was certainly a step up from the squalorous basement he dwelt in prior. The apartment was comprised of a reasonable size, modest enough for one bed and one bath. The units design mostly going upward, leaving the sleeping areas up a flight of stairs, as the downstairs floor plan bore two rooms, a combination parlor, dining room, with a modest kitchen tucked away in a side room. The general style and design of the rooms and the apartment was fairly standard, backed against the stairwell leading to the bedroom, sat a wide and plush couch, which Nick heartily took to and collapsed upon, resting as he removed his jacket, moving to hang it up on the coat rack beside the couch. 

Judy shifts and comes to rest on the couch as well alongside Nick, exhaling tiredly as she leans back against the backing of the seat, casting a glance towards Nick whom remained quiet, eyes closed, body sunk into the cushion, clearly taking care not to add pressure to his torso. She waits, the moments of silence ticking over before she speaks up quietly and watches him idly, “You know none of what happened was your fault right? Whatever those thugs had stored in that crate merely was messing with your mind… “ She raises a paw idly as she shakes her head, stopping Nick before he could retort “No, I know what you're going to say, and I know you're lying. Your ears don’t twitch like that unless something is really bothering you, call it an observation I’ve picked up on…” 

Nick cracks open a weary eye, his otherwise mirthful exterior he shows the world rolled back, revealing clear worry and shame written upon his face “I know… I… Yeah I know it wasn’t my fault, but it was my body. I shouldn’t have done something so stupid, I mean people got hurt because of me Carrots, Its.. I don’t want people to think I’ve lost it… I mean, ontop of it, I don’t want to ruin your reputation if you stay around a fella like me…” He shifts and exhales moving to lean forward slightly, lightly rubbing his chest as a faint pain stirred within, he glances over at her gauging her. He knew deep within she wasn’t going to to let him continue his self flagellation. He sighs slightly and rubs the back of his neck worriedly, growing quiet as she clearly ponders her response.

Judy would shift and slide closer to him, reaching out as she placed a slight hand upon his own, gently removing his hand from the back of his neck, she turns to face him and grants him purview into the inner workings of herself. “Nick… you know as well as I do, you wouldn’t hurt a fly. Who cares about my reputation, I’d rather be known as a bunny who sticks next to her decisions and partner as opposed to someone who washes out and runs at the first sign of trouble.” She shifts and flashes him a cordial grin “Besides, if your trouble then that must make me an accomplice…” She chuckles as she scoots forth idly, moving to rest her head against the crux of Nick’s shoulder, he reflexively moves to place his hand upon her shoulder, gently thumbing her shoulder blade.

Nick releases a slight chuckle, resting his head back against the couch for a few moments more, as her transparency with her feelings brought him some bout of comfort “Heh, Yeah you're certainly a crooked cop then if you're smitten by me... I should have absolutely known you have a terrible taste in romantic entanglements.” He rises to a proper seated position, tilting his head towards her as he stows the frets and doubts ravaging his mind for a time, “Now, how about… we order in, watch a movie and see where the night may lead eh?” He glances up, reaching over to the coffee table nearby to recover the phone, idly punching forth numbers as he prepares to make the arrangements for the evening.

Judy unburrows her face from his arm and flashes him a grin “Now that’s what I like to hear, don’t be cheap, we are cutting this fifty fifty, so make sure you order the good stuff..heavens knows we need something good right now” She adjusts her position to allow for her body to rest quietly against his side, taking special care not to provide pressure to his bandaged regions.

In the breadth of two hours, the duos food had properly arrived, delivered by a gaunt looking rain soaked boar, and the duo had properly changed into more casual attire, idly lounging about on the couch in the cusp of the dark storming fraught night, having a stout stack of movies they’d collected together over the course of the week, they routinely relaxed and watched through their collection over the course of their time together if they were not out and about. The current black and white classic film had their rabbit protagonist squaring off against low production budget aliens from the seventh moon of mars. Nick idly rubs his jaw as he nods along, a wry look upon his countenance as he speaks up “You know, Bartures movies are getting better, you know, I almost missed the strings on that critters arms…” He nods with a slight chuckle, idly adjusting the bucket of popcorn that found its way upon his lap.

Judy chuckles and huffs, playing along with his jest, as she lays against his side, chin resting on his right thigh “Oh of course, his direction and art work improved over the last ten years, I mean we do have the newer movies he composed back about oh… fifteen years ago? Those should be a real treat… You know I never really understood why his rabbits always cowered in fear when faced with mutant rodents or… well aliens from a moon..” She shifts, and glances up at him teasing “I think he is doing a terrible injustice to the representation of rabbits as overly cowardly damsels in distress..” She chuckles with faux smug look upon her face, clearly wishing to goad this conversation forth.

Nick glances down and quirks an eyebrow, raising a finger as he explains over the shrill cries of the protagonist of the film, “Now Now, here me out on this one, perhaps not all rabbits think as you do Carrots, perhaps due to their size and stature they are better suited and able to flee from confrontation rather than engage in it… If you happened to watch the instant stalwart classic that was “Frozen Simians from Beyond Time” you would notice whilst his rabbit actors /did/ flee from confrontation, not one of them was caught nor unable to escape unlike the lead lion. Now I would wager, that this is a direct dissection and a clever social narrative by our dear director friend. His efforts encourage us to do what we are good at doing, and dismissing what would be socially demanded in such trying scenarios, ala, bunnies run away and live another day, and lions well clearly they get their brains sucked out and put in jars to fuel a crazed sloth scientist’s warmachine…” He moves to take a long drag from his bottle of pop, exhaling with a grin, hand moving to to find its place on Judy’s cheek, idly thumbing over her plush fur “Mhmm besides, if all bunnies were fighters, who would I brag about eh? Not you, because you’d be boring..” He flashes a playful grin at her, and winks.

Judy fails to stifle her chuckle and slaps a hand upon her face, however permitting Nick to caress her cheek “Now that was simply terrible, you had me nearly going there and you had to break into the soppy compliment didn’t you, you truly need to work on your act there, seem to be getting rusty” She purrs and chuckles, turning her head back over to watch the movie idly, giving a contented sigh, “Mhmm, as cheesy as it was it was flattering…” She moves to place her slight paw upon his hand, gently squeezing his hand “You stupid fox…” She chuckles quietly before remaining quiet, a bit at a loss for words, but it was a pleasant loss she supposed. 

Time folded on, the hour hand marching steadily along, as the clock ticked onward. As Judy would lightly still, having drifted to sleep already during a lull in the action of the film they were watching, the clock would sound thrice, indicating it was three past midnight, Nick yawned heavily, rolling his left shoulder, as his right rested upon Judy, he shifts and glances over, idly moving to snag a blanket to properly bundle her within, moving slowly as she idly stirred with a few grumpy noises, however she refused to rouse fully from her sleep, with careful deliberation, Nick gentle hefted her from the couch and carried her up yonder the stairs and unto his bedchamber, depositing his dozing companion within his own bed before swapping his lounging attire for a simple pair of boxers, with careful movements, he slinks from the bedchamber and quietly closes the door, he however pauses. Casting a wary glance towards the door itself, something within him urging him that such was the right course of action, something felt right about ensuring her security with an added layer of protection. He shifts moving to take hold of the handle lightly, opening the door once more as he reaches within and moves to lock the room from within, before moving back downstairs as he tosses out a blanket from his coat closet. Before he lay himself down for the slumber that had so far long eluded him, he lay silently in the inky darkness of his own room, the looming shadows flitting through the blinds over the window beside his door lightly danced upon the coffee table and the now quiet television. Nick would uneasily shift, hand unwittingly moving to rub at his bandaged stomach, glancing around at each looming shadow and deep space of abyssal darkness.  
“Heheh...heh… Just stop thinking about it, just relax. Nothing is going to happen it’s just another day in my apartment, everythings fine. Judy’s upstairs if anything happens.. I am fine” He shifts beginning to repeat his mantra slowly over and over, attempting his working to calm his frazzled nerves, now that he was once again alone among the quiet and stillness of the night his mind began to wander, almost tauntingly drawing his conscious thoughts back to the talk with the chief, the thoughts of him losing control and bringing harm to the innocent, they tormented him like proverbial prods in his back and sides, causing him to toss and turn uneasily for some time. His hand would nervously close about the end of his pillow, feeling the ends of his eyelids slowly drift closer and closer together, the once distinct and visible last radiating through the curtains drawn over the window growing muddier and muddier.

That was until the filtering light ceased, the room cast in darkness, Nick’s eyes snapped open sharply, the light failing to reach through the blinds, it’s light blocked from something not within the room, but between the crack of the curtain and beyond his window. Nick froze in his spot, his eyes darting over to the clock resting upon the table beside him…. 3:34 am, certainly no one would be outside at such an hour, the nearest door was several meters away, clearly whatever it was it was making the conscious decision to remain before the window, unmoving for far too long. As time crept on, Nick’s heart slowly started to increase pace, his torso aching something fierce, his wounds growing tautly sore and painful, forcing him to double over in pain, his voice stilled and silent, not wishing to crack neer a peep lest that which lurks beyond the cracks in the curtains draw its focus upon him. He places a hand over his mouth stifling a groan as he winces, his hand upon his torso feeling a ominous budding moisture in the bandages, he shifts glancing downwards at his palm in lingering fear. In the looming darkness of the room, he could only barely make out the outline of his own palm, his hand turning over as he inspects it, feeling warm rivulets traveling down the contours of his wrist and arm, a faint and steady plip radiating from the cushion below his hand as something drips free at an even pace, he winces, slumping back over as he feels his vision greying, his head growing murky as his breath hitches, he casts his fading vision as he slips forth unto the eddies of the slumbering world, his mind reaching forth, almost seeking to flee his frame a unsettling feeling of weightlessness overtaking him once more as he had felt before in that stygian abyss back in the warehouse.

With a final glance of his fading vision, his eyes lingered once more yonder upon the curtain’s crack dreading what he’d find yonder,yet stranger still the light once more filtering through unimpaired, the world once more at peace. The world about him blissfully unaware of the depths and savagery of his woes.


	6. Chapter 6

Clawing, scratching and crying out in fear, Nick sank his claws into the soft earth as his body slowly was teased upon by the fickle mistress of gravity. His lower body dangling precariously from the lip of a titanic precipice, his claws scrambling to find purchase on the stone and earth that comprised the harrowing drop below him, his cries echoed forth unto the bleak shadows that ensconced him, he felt his body failing as his muscles grew tired, a staggering pain echoing up from his wounded torso. He glances upwards frantically, head swiveling to and fro as he desperately seeks something, anything that would assist his ascent, upon his lips a prayer. 

With a flick of his wrist he contracts something stout and firm, the texture rough and gnarled, snapping out with his paw he takes hold of the object, realizing a withered and aged old root bore him safety. With a stark shift, he moves rapidly to heft himself upward, fully completing his ascent to the flat bout of stone that now resided below him, his heart furiously pounding in his chest,, as he lays motionless upon his back, staring silently upwards at the inky shroud that veiled the skies above him, he grunts and rolls aside, aiming to rise wearily, his keen ears pivoting about as they sought any sound or indication that would lead to the unearthing of his location. He pauses, a crawling shiver rolling up his spine, a gentle movement would echo from far below, the liquid rush of heaving and foaming streams of the sea, colliding with a resounding boom against the cliffside. He would pause, hands coming to the sides of his face as he glances about, the uneasy familiarity of this abyssal situation striking his primal cord. 

“No, No No! This can’t be happening again! No, it's not real it can’t be, I have left, I was gone! It's over don’t you hear me? I-I'm clean I swear!” He glances around frantically, as the gently rolling crush of the waves below him beyond the principes sheer, he shifts forth, moving away from the cliff's edge, this time no long in composition of himself, he was driven by fear, his body seizing upon the chance to flee, he moved briskly into the murky shadows. The heaving wall of choking noxious shadows and smoke would reel back, akin a curtain as he sprinted forth from the cliff, he had been here before.. “No No, this is just like it was back in the warehouse! Why is this happening? Hello?! Anyone! Please… I just… I just need..” He staggers feet catching on overturned stones and tufts of grass, his body heaving in pain as his wounds flared sharply upon his stomach and chest, he collapses. His frame crashing down into the cool and damp embrace of field grass, the moist dewdrops upon the folds of green gently peppered him and soaked his fore. 

Nick heaves, rearing back his fist, he drives it unto the earth, hammering away upon this wretched and abominable place. His body choked up, as he strove to keep his face, feeling empty, powerless in this void and expanse of shrouded shade. His fears gnawing upon him, goading and mocking him, his own mind conjuring forth the unspeakable his frame may wrought upon the waking world as he remains trapped within this wretched hive of broken stone and ill fields. He strives to contain his emotions, his facade cracking under the pressure of this carade, his mind and body growing tired and weary as he lay within the cool field that resides about him. “What’s the point… Huh? You're as good as gone, I didn’t ask for any of this… Never in my life did I dream I’d lose hold of my mind as I’ve done so now… Have I truly, truly gone mad?” He shifts glancing upwards, imploring the empty shadows and heaving miasma about him. Yet forth with no answer was given, nor explanation gained, the shades and shadows keeping their mystery.

Nick shifts curling slightly as he places his hands upon his head, shaking it to and fro, his endurance brokering unto its end, before the faintest of sounds, drew him back unto the reality in which he was plagued. Faintly, beyond the veil and shroud of murky shadows, the faintest groan issued forth, Nick would rise slowly to his side. His ears turning to attempt to hear the sound once more, and once more it did issue. It was a heavy sound, closer to the creak and groan of strained timbers, with such a sound nearby, Nick would move forth, sinking his claws into the earth below as he drags himself forth, torso aflame as he dragged himself from his place forward. His face contorted in strain as he makes his way forward body imploring him to cease but he would hear forth none of its protest. With several long reaching grasps and ponderous hefting of his frame, he finally reached forth, the groaning above him in some capacity.   
Wearily he glances upward, clawed hand reaching forth to make contact with the object, his nails and fingertips finding a splinter ridden timber, as his hand trails down the object, it's texture grows smooth, he blinks sharply, pushing himself up with a cry, til he was upon his knees, reaching forth as he leaned heavily upon the wooden structure. With tired eyes he cast his sight upward to find a squat and heavy sign, completely unimpressive in design and construction. It's composition was merely several flat boards hammered crudely together. As his vision clears so too does the harrowing miasma that blights his vision, the clarity reaching him as he spies swashes of faded colors upon the surface of the construction. He winces and leans back, cracking a bleary grin as he laughs, slapping his paws upon his face as he shakes his head to and fro, voice brokering from a bellowing laugh to a strangled cry.

“Abundance? Abundance?! Who is…. I just… No.” He shakes his head to and fro, trying to shake his mind clear as he stares forth again intently, trying to fight back a few welling tears that threatened to roll down his pained expression. Once more he stared and once more the sign bore it's writing, upon its front it bore a myriad of washed out colors, yet plain as day upon it's surface in titanic font was written “Abundance! We don’t find any cleaner catch but here!” Nick mouthed the words, speaking them aloud, as he repeats the slogan, his neurons firing sharply as he blinks, placing his hands upon his head “What does it mean! Was…am I caught in a fever dream and still getting commercialized? Is this your thought of a sick joke? Huh?!” He glances around shouting hoarsely as he leans back upon all four limbs, using his forearm to brush his face, attempting to fight off the pain that roiled within him. His ears twitch, he senses the air pressure about him, something was moving about him. He glances upwards, casting his glance about as he shifts “No… No! Go away, I don’t want this…” Upon the corner of his vision a distinctive blur of color moves among the miasma, a reaching hand moving forth from the ebbing shadows, it's form shrouded in the inky fog that danced about, the muted ting of a dark flaxen arm loomed forth, unnaturally long fingers reaching forth as they clearly make an attempt to coax hold of Nick’s shoulder, his eyes clasping shut as he consigns himself to the far simpler state of oblivion.

“Nick!” A slight voice echos forth, radiating from up yonder, beyond the signs that reside before him, the flaxen limb bringing itself to an unsteady stop. 

Nick turns his head slowly upwards, cracking his eyebrows as he glances to and fro, something striking him as familiar with the voice. It's tone, sometimes harsh and cruel but ever gentle and affectionate in it's presentation, something about such a voice… something.

He harshly draws his eyes open, moving to push himself with a agonizing heave to his feet, he knew that voice. “Judy?! Judy!” He cried out as he moves staggering forth, narrowly sidestepping the sign as he moves forth, feeling direction of the call growing closer and closer with each weary step forth he took. However with a stilted cry of dismay, Nick cascades forth, crashing down into the fields of grass as he feels a titanic weight bore down upon, the weight of gravity harshly pulling him down as he collides with the earth, a radiating pain rolling up his snout as he makes full impact, his body quivering sharply as he feels several crossing wounds upon his torso reopen harshly. He lays there motionlessly upon the field, feeling his energy, his warmth heat, and very life blood ebbing from his torso, leaking forth unto the cool vampiric soul of the earth below.

A harsh yank to his right shoulder would jolt him, his eyes flashing open in the bright light of the sun's rays, he winces head panning to his left and right as he mumbles incoherently, his vision slowly adjusts to the sudden influx of light, feeling a pressure upon his chest and the dull pains that followed. Above him rested Judy a look of worry on her face, hands running bright scarlet with rivulets of blood, a look of panic on her face, as she tries to shake him once more, leaning forth as she speaks up sharply “Nick! Nick! What did you do! You're bleeding! You idiot your bandages are off!” She rapidly moves, hands darting nimbly to and fro across his chest, fresh gauze moving in white blurs as she tosses aside ragged and soaked old pads. She was frantic, bloodlets flying with each dabbing motion and bit of pressure she exerted, her lovely face smattered in crimson droplets as she worked rapidly to stem the bleeding.  
Nick blinks slowly, his body somewhat cold, a bit numb from the loss of blood, causes him to speak blearily “Huh? I…I didn’t mean… Judy… Listen to me..” He shifts head sagging back onto the pillow as she frantically works to stem his wounds and rebind them, her face set into a gaze of unwavering focus, her first aid training kicking in full throttle as she works tirelessly with what he only could suppose was their first aid packs from their cruiser. She seemed to ignore his words, causing him to furrow his brow as he mustered his strength and spoke up. “Judy...Abundance what does it mean?” He shifts speaking up with a wheeze as she starts to get a handle on his wounds, rapidly rebinding and swapping out spent cloth for fresh gauze.

Judy sharply speaks in a barking tone, the barest hint of worry causing her voice to falter in the ever slightest way. “Nick! Shutup! Shut your mouth and let me focus! You /idiot/, some part of me screamed that this was a bad idea in discharging you, we need to get you to the hospital… I..I think I stemmed the bleeding but, I-I am not fully certified in my medical courses” She shifts worriedly picking up the bloodied gauze as she moves it aside, a steady trickle of blood ebbing from the spent pads pattering wetly in cascading crimson droplets upon the coffee table at her side. She shifts and places her hands on her head “What got into you Nick, how did this happen again?! She sharply glances up amethyst eyes undulated with welling tears that raced down her cheeks, her hands clasped upon his forearm “You are going to be the death of me you stupid fox! I thought my heart was going to come sailing out of my chest when I found you like this… Look I need to call an ambulance, they should-”

Nick shifts, leaning forth with a surprising burst of energy, weakly gripping her upper arm as he peers unto her countenance, a wide eyed look of fear written upon his face, a look completely alien to Judy upon her steadfast partners own frazzled features. “No… No, No medics, no ambulances no more going back there… Judy listen to me I know it's going to sound crazy, but... What does the word Abundance bear to mind when you speak it…I-It's got something to do with catching..” He shifts, moving upright as the bindings upon his chest hold close, drawing another ragged wheeze from his chest, before he slides forth attempting to sit upright on the couches edge, weakly supporting himself with his right hand.

Judy shifts and raises both of her hands in warning, placing them firmly upon his shoulders, shaking her head “What? Nick, you're speaking nonsense, what do you mean Abundance?! Look this is just a crazy and lingering symptom of your contact with that vial's contents...but you're sick that’s all, not crazy, just sick. Look I admit it was my fault for agreeing to remove you early, you can bank on that but I-... Just would you stop moving, please?!” She half shouts at him, attempting to place such an order upon him and to her credit, it does give him pause as she glances at her, face set, she knew such a look it was one of hellbound determination. 

“Carrots… Judy listen to me, I… I need to be away from that hospital for now, do you understand me? Something, is going on with my head, and locking me up in a room /won’t/ solve it, it clearly hadn’t fixed me up until now. Listen, I had… something, a premonition? Some sort of extremely lucid hallucination, whatever term we want to call it, in that… state, the term Abundance and something about catching, is now bouncing around my head, and I’ve never encountered anything like it... Abundance Judy, What is it? I need to follow this through, this isn’t just a random series of coincidences…” He shifts, leaning forward as he grips onto her shoulders, drawing her closer to him as his face shifts to bear a look of desperation “Judy, please… I am, begging you, just help me, I-I don’t know whats causing all this garbage, but I know, I feel if I dig deep enough and get to the bottom of this, we can fix this...this isn’t like anything else we’ve busted before, and… I want to stop whatever it was in those containers back in the warehouse, before it gets out on the streets.” He mouths, the once sly and cunning countenance he bore was cracking, clearly something was boding ill below the surface. Nick was cracking and he could feel it, deep within something was unhinging him, he’d never break down like this, bleeding and feeble as he implored a rabbit… his rabbit for help in his chaotic and seemingly fragmenting sanity. 

She remains still for several moments, glancing away as she places her hand upon her temple and worriedly shakes her head, trying to clear her thoughts. Each moment turning over unto an agonizing minute before she raggedly inhales, hand over her face “Then what? What if we follow this trail and what if you get torn up you idiot? What then, what am I supposed to do.. You said it yourself, we are partners Nick, we stick together through and through… You can’t just throw away what we’ve worked for, you and I...” She shifts and fully comes to rest upon her knees, hands firmly placed over her eyes as she keeps her head downcast, ears drooping low, seemingly unable to bear the sight of Nick’s condition. Faintly her shoulders heave, as she conflicts internally, clearly the stress of this entire situation was weighing heavily upon her “Nick,you’ve got me in a awkward pinch, how can you trust anything your minds putting for, all whilst saying you want to avoid possible treatment… what sort of bind do you think you're locking me into here? What do you want me to do..” She says listlessly, turning up her head to face him, broad tears rolling down her cheeks as she clearly bore a combination of sorrow and anger, her inquiry was left hanging in the open air.

Nick shifts, rising to an upright position, as he moves to encircle her within his embrace, his face solemn and bearing his indelible concern as he speaks softly, lightly patting her shoulder “Judy.. I can’t tell you what to do in this situation, but in my time with you, learning of you, I’ve realized that you will do what you think is right in all things.. I.. Honestly can’t tell you what I am planning will work or what all of this means as I cannot even begin to explain it, but I can swear to you, every moment I am free of rotting in an institution straitjacket, It’ll be time spent fighting to return to normality, to bring us back to one another…. I can’t do that without you Judy, I need your help in this situation, you're the only person that will have my back if things go south. If we can just crack the source of this we can get our tranquility back. You heard it yourself from the Chief, the boys and girls in the lab haven’t even come close to cracking what the chemical was made of or even does, and being spoon fed mashed apples whilst hammered under drugs, doesn’t sound like a productive way of finding a fix… So if you trust me, we can find a solution to this, I know we can...” He nods and shifts leaning back to lightly brush his thumb across her cheeks, stroking away her tears and in some capacity her uncertainty. His facade slowly returning, as Judy would watch, the same compassionate, sly smirk would drift across his countenance as he rolled the proverbial dice.

Judy’s nose quivers slightly as she slowly withdraws her cheek, recoiling from his touch, sliding herself back as she provides distance between them, as her ears droop once more, she nods firmly her path resolved, and with a pained look upon her countenance as she sorrowfully explains, “You always had a good heart… B-But I can’t, I won’t let you do this to yourself… Not again not his time, Nick….” She shifts, shifting back as she slides away from him, leaving a growing distance between them both.


End file.
